Every day from that day on I worked. An uneducated man such as myself would have struggled to find work, so Tarina’s father allowed me to work for him. He was a mert, and uhe I began to work up the 1 million Lupas I o pay him for his daughter.

  I would go all across Terrafide to sell his goods as a travelling mert, I would also go to both of the great port cities of Deno and to sell goods. Standing in the city where adventures began filled me with hope.

  But the disappoi I faced with my job was immeasurable.

  “Hey, you how about you buy our fine goods.”

  “Don’t bother me.”

  “What about you, I believe this amulet would go quite well with your dress.”

  Putting up her hand, she says, “Please don’t breath the same air as me peasant.”

  Every day I would get talked down tnored, as I tried to sell goods. The only soce I had was when I returned back to Bêq?met and got to see Tarina again.

  “Did you just e out of the oven? Because you're hot.”

  “Oh, you!”

  Her ughing at my dumb jokes gave me strength to keep going, if the entire world was against me, she was the sole person with me and that gave me energy.

  Over the 10 years, I worked no stop and I was finally about to fulfil my tract. Though in that time I noticed something, that my body grew weaker.

  My back hurt more, my legs were less stable and my belly wasn’t as ft as before, I eve more than I used to.

  But I mao ignore all these things until I went to see the Nob's baby.

  Holding up the adorable child, I say, “To think the three nobodies now have kids, how time flies.”

  “Don’t call us nobodies.”

  “Ok sorry, it is surprising that Nob, Od and Zee all have children isn’t it?”

  “Yamal you did it again,” Nob says getting worked up.

  From behind him his wife es and smacks him on the head saying, “Darling, quiet down our little Ga, is going to wake up.”

  “Sorry,” Nob says, in a tired voice.

  Walking up to me Nob's wife takes the baby and as she leaves with it, I say, “Life must really be going well for you three.”

  “Yeah, it is.”

  “We have wonderful families.”

  “But we should say the same about you Yamal, you're almost finished paying off the debt?”

  “Yht about that, in about a month’s time I will be finished, and then I start my adventure.”

  Suddenly all three of them have surprised looks on their faces as Zee says, “You ’t be serious about that?”

  “About what?”

  “Going on an adventure.”

  “Why wouldn’t I, I don’t lie I said I am going out to the world so I am.”

  “But you want to marry Tarina and knowing you I am pretty sure you want kids, raising kids and having a family while being an adventurer is too dangerous.”

  “I am sure I manage.”

  “Yamal isn’t that irresponsible; you ’t go around doing selfish things like that!”

  “Who the hell are you nobodies to say that to me!”

  From the other room Nob's wife screams, “SHUT THE HELL UP YOU MORONS, THE BABIES ARE SLEEPING!!!”

  With all our fervour disappearing, we all say in unison, “Sorry.”

  Calming down Nob, says, “I don’t want to offend you, but what I am getting at is that we are no longer children, we have responsibilities and people to take care of when it es to your wife and any possible children it is your job to make sure they will always be safe.”

  “Yeah Yamal, and none of us are as young as we used to be we’re all over 35.”

  “The other day I swear my karted to buckle when I got up, and my back was killing me all throughout the night.”

  “Yeah, I know what you mean, my shoulders have started to get really stiff and I barely eat as actively as I did when I was younger.”

  “Guess it is just us beihough it be sad at times.”

  “Isn’t that why we have alcohol, when you're drunk you don’t have to think about such things.”

  As I hear them ramble on in front of me, I start to feel sick, so I walk to the door and say, “Yreat husbands and are all going to be eveer fathers.” Then I sm the door and walk away.

  As I leave Nob's house, I hear Nobs scream from behind me, “Wait up!”

  Turning around I see something flying at me, so a try to grab it while fumbling, “What the hell was that for Nob.” Looking at what he has thrown me I see it is some hard liquor.

  “Yamal that’s for the hard nights when the darkness creeps up on you.”

  I take a sed to look at the bottle and I say, “Thanks Nob, you might be a nobody in the eyes of the world, but at least for me you’re an important friend.” And like that, I walk away.

  Over the month, even though I try to ighe Nob's words I just couldn’t, every single day as the debt grew closer to zero, I could feel the darkness crawl up o was uing in its seare.

  With that ever-present darkness following me a month finally passed and my debt was fully paid back, and on that same day, I was io Tarina's house to have a small dinner with her family.

  As we ate, I sat beside my soon-to-be wife with excitement. But suddenly her father asked, “So Yamal, how would you like to permaly work under me?”

  Tarina beside me sms her utensils into the table and says, “Haven’t you taken enough from Yamal's dad?”

  “Please be quiet, the mealking!”

  “Father, I believe you know the dream I one day wish to aplish.”

  “To bee an adve ye, what a truly pointless endeavour. But since I know how much you covert this dream, I will give you a better offer, I pn to open a perma shop in and I offer you the position of owner of this branch.”

  “ is a great port city, if your shop survives there it will surely gee great profits, I don’t think that is such a position for an uneducated man like myself to have.”

  “Just like my daughter you uimate your value, over this st decade your skills as a mert have improved tremendously and all my business partners love you, I am sure ai like yourself will be well received at .”

  “But fathe-.”

  “40% of whatever the shop gees goes to you, when you sider that and the fact that is the safest city in the world it is a no-braio live there. It is a husband's job to provide for his family ahem safe, so my offer allows you to do both. To reject su offer would be crazy.”

  Letting out a defeated ugh I say, “Yeah it would be absolutely crazy.”

  After he finishes his rant, we all eat, and after ughing at a few more of his tasteless jokes dinner es to an end and we all go to sleep. Uo rest during the night, I get up and head outside with a bottle in my hand.

  As I drink, I mumble, “ the city where the hunter guild is based, the home base of all the world's adventurers, and the pce I dreamt most of going. But now I have to live iy of my dreams and watch as others aplish there’s. What a joke.”

  As I feel the darkness crawl up on me, I guzzle more wine and I start to cry a bit, then I hear, “You really are handsome when you cry.”

  Looking to my left I see Tarina beside me. Wiping the tears of my eyes, I say slurred, “Darling what are you doing here?”

  “I came to che you on your bed, but I didn’t see you there, and then I found you out here. Now when did you start drinking alcohol?”

  “It is only a habit I picked up over the st month, it helps a bit.”

  Looking at Tarina's face after, I said this I see she is making a rather adorable face of disapproval. Then after a moment, she says, “Yamal, I was thinking about the deal my father made you, and I-.”

  Cutting her off, I say, “I will take it, su offer is a on-a-lifetime opportunity, it will allow us to live a fy life, and provide for our children, there is also er try to grow up in other than , education is free there and there will be thousands of business opportunities, not to mention the try is pletely free from war. If it es to keeping your family happy and safe there is er pce to live.”

  “Yam-.”

  “And even though I ’t live my dream, I will get to help and support other adventures would want to achieve things, if anything it is a win-win situation.”

  “Yama-.”

  “And I am not fit to be an advehe other day my knees made a weird sound as I walked, I ain’t the young man I used to be, so I o grow up face reality a a real job.”

  Suddenly I am flicked on my forehead as Tarina says, “Don’t interrupt me, idiot.”

  “Sorry!”

  “Yamal, now listen closely you idiot, don’t take the job, let’s go on an adveogether.”

  As she says this, I feel the darkness ao correct her, “Have you lost your mind Tarina, I literally just listed all the reasons why it is a bad idea.”

  “I know them all, so let’s go.”

  Standing up I say, “I am your husband it is my job to protect, I ’t let stupid things like my dreams stand in the way of providing for you and any future kids we have.”

  “Yamal when I was younger, I was forced like all the other little kids to attend churd read the bible, but one of the only things I remember is a verse about marriage. That both the husband and wife bee one body.

  This new body must provide for itself, clothe itself, cook for itself, itself, must be healthy, must be strong, must be wise and must take responsibility for all its as. But most of those things ge by gods will, fade through time, or are simply things one must do to be an appropriate human, so what’s the point of marriage?”

  Getting up Tarina grabs my hands and says, “Simple, because everything you are I want to add to myself. So even when I only have my own flesh and blood, I will still have your funny jokes, your undying happiness, your never-ending will, and the joy y to my existence. I want to bee oh you Yamal, so op being Yamal.”

  Feeling the darkness clear from me, I say with tears, “But what about if we have kids, how will they fair?”

  “A parent's job is to teach their kids how to get through life and be happy. I don’t think teag your kid to sacrifice their lives just to make others happy is a good lesson, don’t you think.”

  “But it is my job to provide for you and our family, I ’t be a fool, I ’t drag you along with my whims.”

  Swinging both of us around with her arms, Tarina says, “Marriage isn’t some to hold you down, it is the fusion of two, so when I said yes, I accepted to take on all your problems and dreams with you, I have always been prepared to leave.”

  “But I ’t allow you to shoulder that by yourself.”

  “Don’t worry you will have to take on my issues as well.”

  “You don’t have any that intense.”

  “Of course, I do, you don’t know this but my farts stink like hell, I think I actually killed a cow once because of them. So now you must live with that for the rest of your life.”

  Letting out a little ugh, I say, “You’re an idiot.”

  “Takes oo know one. So, Yamal I ask you, will you bee oh me?”

  Fully g as we swing and dance around, I say, “Yes!”

  “Now as the first decree of our joint married life, no more of this,” Tarina says, grabbing and throwing the bottle in my hand. “As long as our body tio breath, no more alcohol, ok DAR-ling!”

  Staring at my beautiful fiancée, I feel all the darkness fade as I say, “I vow to god!”